There is evolution in Tom Flip’s black and white styled portraits. The photographer and bartender knows that his popular twice-a-decade portraits demonstrate more than just him taking good pictures. These portraits are a way for the inhabitants of Key West and beyond to look back at who they were as an island at one moment in time.
It is a bit of insanity; Flip says of the task of trying to maintain this half-art, half-visual record that happens once every five years. So far, his “Heads Up Key West” remains one of the few local works that presents a straightforward way to see and try to understand the lives that make up this curious place.
Now, the result of the most recent edition will be displayed at Williams Hall with additional photos from the 2018 and 2013 editions. “Heads Up Key West” works by inviting anyone to show up at one of several venues and have their photograph taken at no cost. The images are then uploaded at a later date and presented as an exhibit. It is a unique way for visitors to examine and sometimes recognize the faces of locals who populate and keep the island going.
The most recent session in 2023 saw crowds line up at art galleries, coffee shops, the backyards of bars, and even the comedy club. The mostly local crowd included many returnees, some who have never missed a session, and new faces that had moved to the Keys.
In creating these events and the finished photographs, Flip ultimately wants the most honest face from his subjects and encourages people to come as they are. He gleans a lot of information from the face-to-face encounters where he spends a few minutes with each person while asking specific things that also help subjects look into the camera lens and stay still.
Combined with all the time spent processing these images on his computer and turning them black and white, Flip thinks he gets a good understanding of who a lot of these people are. Sometimes, he at least gains a bit of insight to imagine who he thinks they are. A game that viewers surely play while deciphering unfamiliar faces. In a small town, even tourists get curious about who someone is.
“At this point it’s history,” Flip said, describing “Heads Up.” “It’s literally history in the making when you’re standing there, no matter how small a part of it you are.” In a world of countless selfies, “Heads Up” allows people the chance to sit in front of a professional set-up with intentional lighting to show off as much of their face — and personality — as possible.
Heads Up Key West
On display through Feb. 28
WilliamsHall.org/events/headsupkeywest
